Hunan Green Beans and Pork

When browsing my new cookbooks and magazines for weekly recipes, I had marked this one. Kevin is always wanting pork chops but I am not the biggest fan of them. I decided to try this one because green beans are one of the only vegetables he likes, plus it had pork chops. I am glad I tried it because it was very good! I made 2 changes - one was using onion powder instead of the onions because I ran out, and the other was using red wine + an extra 1/2 tsp. sugar instead of the dry sherry, because that is what I had. One of the recipe suggestions was to serve it "southern-style" over cornbread, so I made a pan of cornbread (another one of Kevin's favorites) and we ate it with that.



Green Beans & Pork Hunan-Style
Source: Healthy Cooking for Two (Or Just You) by Frances Price

Ingredients (For 2 servings):
1 pound of fresh green beans
6 oz. lean boneless pork chops
1/2 cup dry sherry or apple juice
1/2 cup defatted chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 green onions, sliced

Snap the stem ends from the beans, then snap the beans into 2" lengths. Immerse them in lukewarm water, then turn them into a colander to drain.

Cut the pork chops into strips about the size and shape of the green beans.

In a large measure, combine the sherry or apple juice, broth or water, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, and pepper flakes (if using); stir to dissolve cornstarch and sugar.

Place a heavy, 10" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the oil, then the pork and ginger. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the beans and garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute.

Stir in the broth mixture. Cook and stir for 1 minute longer, or until the sauce is translucent and thickened. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet and cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes, or until the beans are crisp-tender. Stir in the green onions and serve hot.